The Kingsman franchise is returning later this year, in both movie and comic book form, it turns out. As we watch Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, and Channing Tatum take the action to America in the trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle, there is no denying that Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to the 2014’s spy film will be bolder and more brass that its predecessor. But what about the comic book series that inspired the film in the first place?

As we pick through the explosive first trailer for The Golden Circle and speculate about the triumphant return of Colin Firth’s as Harry Hart, there is more great Kingsman news heading our way, for fans of Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ original comic book work.

Millar brought The Secret Service to the world of comic books back in 2012 - featuring artwork by Gibbons - and the series released to general critical acclaim. Now, Millar has taken to Twitter to announce that more spy-based stories will be hitting shelves before The Golden Circle’s theatrical release (see below):

This would probably be a good time to mention that a new Kingsman comic starts in September too. Kingsman: The Red Diamond. More later :)— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) April 25, 2017

Although the movie has eclipsed its comic book counterpart, we would never have got Vaughn’s Kingsman film without the work of Millar and Gibbons. Featuring completely different characters, The Secret Service comic followed “Uncle” Jack London - a top MI6 agent who recruits his wayward nephew Gary. The pair take on a cell-phone mogul named Dr. James Arnold, whose nefarious plan sees him intend to rule the world with his mind-controlling satellites.

While elements of the story ultimately made it into Vaughn’s cut, it was a very loose interpretation of Millar’s work. We did see Mark Hamill get kidnapped, although not playing himself. Hamill actually played the role of Dr. Arnold, however, he was no longer an antagonist and was replaced by the original creation of Samuel L. Jackson’s Richmond Valentine

Lasting for only six issues, there was only ever enough Secret Service source material for one film. Those who have read the series had long hoped for a continuation, and it appears that Millar has answered our prayers. Expect to meet a whole host of new madcap characters and R-rated situations, splashed in red over the pages for an update on the James Bond genre.

The name Kingsman: The Red Diamond hints that the new comic book will not follow the events of The Golden Circle, but fans are hoping that we may have a cameo from the already fan-favorite Statesmen. There is always the possibility that it could feature as a tie-in story, and who knows - if Kingsman: The Golden Circle doesn’t reveal how Harry survived a bullet to the head at point-blank, maybe The Red Diamond will?

Source: Mark Millar

  • Kingsman: The Golden Circle Release Date: 2017-09-22